Monthly Archive for January, 2012

: January, 2012

Lew Fidler is slated to kickoff his campaign for the Senate on the steps of City Hall this afternoon, a location that the Republican Party said reminds them of another Democratic campaign from that section of Brooklyn–that of failed Congressional candidate David Weprin.

“Just like failed Congressional candidate David Weprin, politician Lew Fidler will kick off his insider campaign surrounded by other professional politicians, the party bosses who handed him the nomination, and the wealthy special interests who will bankroll his latest run for office, but nowhere near the hardworking men and women of the district he’s running to represent,” said Senate Republican spokesman Scott Reif in a statement. “It’s troubling that Mr. Fidler’s very first decision as a candidate for the New York State Senate was to move his campaign launch outside the district so he could just waltz out of his City Hall office, make this announcement and not be bothered with the give and take of an actual campaign.”

Mr. Weprin, of course, went down to defeat to Republican Bob Turner in a 3-1 Democratic district. That seat became available when Anthony Weiner resigned in disgrace. Mr. Fidler is running to take the place of another Democrat who resigned in disgrace–Carl Kruger–something the GOP was quick to harp on as well.

“The last thing the residents of Brooklyn need after Carl Kruger resigned from the Senate in disgrace is another politician who is more comfortable with his political cronies and lobbyist friends than he is with regular people. We’re confident that voters will choose a successful small businessman who is in touch with the needs of the district; someone like David Storobin.”

Outside a freezing cold Chambers Street municipal building Friday afternoon, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer stressed his commitment to block any sale by the Bloomberg administration of three Lower Manhattan buildings owned by the city.
The … …

Voters were split on Cuomo’s commitment to improving public schools, a key message in his State of the State address on Jan. 4, the Siena College poll today found. He is expected to call for greater school accountability in his budget proposal Tuesday and tying additional school aid to teacher evaluations. Fifty-one percent of voters […] …

Governor Cuomo (Photo: Getty)
A Sienna College poll found that Governor Andrew Cuomo remains overwhelmingly popular among registered voters in New York, with a solid 73% approval rating. Numbers that high are rarely attainable for high-profile elected … …

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s job-performance rating reached its highest level since he took office a year ago, a Siena College poll today showed. By a margin of 62 percent to 37 percent, voters in New York had a positive view of Cuomo’s job as governor, the poll found. The Democratic governor also a whopping 73 percent […] …

At last Friday’s ABNY breakfast, The Politicker asked Senator Kirsten Gillibrand about the protests she faced earlier this month over her support for this year’s National Defense Appropriations Act, which contained a provision that would allow the government to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens accused of terrorism. Senator Gillibrand, who voted for two amendments that would have changed the controversial provision, said the concerns of the protesters were “legitimate” and vowed to “keep fighting” for civil liberties.

“It’s a very complex bill, but the provision that people are upset about, I share their concerns,” Senator Gillibrand said.

“I worked very hard with Mark Udall and Senator Feinstein to make sure that American’s rights are guaranteed and that they cannot be thrown into a jail and never heard from again. We want our basic civil rights, we want our basic human rights,” Senator Gillibrand said.

After a veto threat from President Barack Obama, the Senate added provisions to the NDAA clarifying that nothing in the bill would affect “existing criminal enforcement and national security authorities of the FBI or any other domestic law enforcement agency” to deal with a captured suspect “regardless of whether such … person is held in military custody.”

Senator Gillibrand said these changes made her feel comfortable moving forward on the bill, but she promised to continue working to ensure civil liberties of American citizens are protected.

“We were able to get the bill into a place where all current U.S. law is relevant and is the deciding factor, and so we felt there was enough protections to move forward,” Senator Gillibrand said. “But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to keep fighting on the issue and making sure those protections are guaranteed.”

Andrew Cuomo will use the budget cudgel to force teachers into a new evaluation systems.
Cuomo is also said to be looking at pension reform, allowing new hires to opt into a 401(k) style and out of a defined benefit plan.
State Senate Republicans have … …

Good morning! The state and nation memorializes the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. today, so expect slow action on the blog. Baby, it was cold outside over the weekend, though today should …

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s press office announced this morning that the governor will be attending a 10 a.m. MLK Jr. Day commemoration at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. That means Cuomo will not be attending National Action Network’s Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton – generally a …